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Hole In The Wall ‘too highbrow for BBC1’

The BBC last night confirmed rumours that the BBC 1 show ‘Hole in the Wall’ is to move to BBC 4 from Spring 2009, following complaints from viewers that the show was too subtle and conceptual for its BBC 1 Saturday night slot. The move comes despite repeated attempts by the show’s host, Dale Winton, to explain to viewers the various interactions between the moving wall with the hole in it, the contestants, and the pool of water, using a series of diagrams and instructional DVDs.

One viewer complained ‘This sort of thing is all very well for the eggheads, but how is the ordinary man in the street supposed to get his head round it? Despite watching the show many times, recording it and playing it back repeatedly, I am still utterly at a loss as to what on earth is going on.’ Another commented: ‘Hole in the Wall is the televisual equivalent of Finnegan’s Wake – utterly perplexing’.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘The concept behind the show can be difficult for audiences to grasp. Hopefully ‘Hole in the Wall’ will be more at home alongside the art-house films and Stephen Poliakoff dramas on BBC 4. What is certain is that the show’s new host, Jeremy Paxman, will give the project his all’. A radio 4 version is also planned, in which Mark Lawson and Tom Paulin describe exactly what is happening to the listener.

Meanwhile rumours are already circulating around what will replace ‘Hole in the Wall’. One insider said that two new shows were in the running; ‘Throw the Ball’ and ‘Celebrity I Bet I Can Fart Louder Than That!’ Writer and Conservative Education spokesman Michael Gove has already agreed to take part.